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Lowrie homers, Anderson exits early as A's top D-backs

PHOENIX -- Jed Lowrie doubled, homered and drove in three runs Sunday as the A's downed the D-backs, 7-5, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in front of 5,411 fans.

With the two hits, Lowrie is now 8-for-21 this spring as he competes for a job in the Oakland infield.

"It seems like he gets a couple good at-bats every day," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "Whether it's right-handed or left-handed, he's swinging the bat really well right now."

The game featured a pitching matchup between two of the top young left-handed arms in baseball, with Oakland's Brett Anderson and Arizona's Tyler Skaggs on the mound. Eight pitches into the first inning, however, Anderson left the game with a strained right trapezius.

Skaggs on the other hand tossed four innings Sunday, allowing four runs on four hits.

"Numbers mean nothing to me; it's all about how you feel and what the coaches see," Skaggs said. "Spring Training is a confidence booster, and today added to my confidence out there. I felt like I was throwing the ball well."

The D-backs got the scoring started in the first inning when A.J. Pollock singled to center to drive in a run after Adam Eaton scored on a wild pitch.

The A's tied the game an inning later on a Michael Choice infield single, then took the lead for good in the third when Lowrie hit a two-run blast to left-center field off Skaggs.

"I was just trying to get ahead, and he put a good swing on it," Skaggs said. "I wasn't trying to overpower him, just challenge him."

Lowrie added his third RBI of the day in the fifth to extend the Oakland lead.

Also pitching Sunday for the A's was Bartolo Colon, who threw three innings, surrendering one run on four hits.

"He was good," Melvin said. "Sometimes here in the desert, it's difficult for him to get that two-seamer to move like he likes it. The air here makes it tough. He got all his pitches in, though, and I thought he did real well."

Up next for A's: The A's will travel across town to Peoria on Monday to face the Padres at 1:05 p.m. PT on MLB.TV and in an exclusive audio webcast. Jarrod Parker will take the mound to make his second start of the spring. In his first outing, he gave up one hit over two scoreless frames. Jemile Weeks will head over to the Minor League camp Monday to take some controlled at-bats as he continues his recovery from a shoulder injury.

Tyler Emerick is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.